Keeping animals out of your sunflower beds is essential if you don’t want them to wipe all of your plants! But do we need to watch out for all kinds of animals, even the gentle ones like deers? Do deer eat sunflowers? How can you stop it from happening? Keep on reading to find out the answers and discover some interesting facts!
Do Deer Eat Sunflowers?
Like other herbivores, deer graze almost all kinds of ground vegetation. So, do deer eat sunflowers? Many plants and flowers attract deer; unfortunately, sunflowers are one of them.
Since sunflowers are a type of plant high in vitamins and minerals, especially protein, They are the food source for large herbivores, including gentle deers. In some areas of the world, people even plant sunflowers intentionally for hunting purposes.
How to Prevent Deer from Eating Your Sunflowers?
We have given you the answer to the question “Do deer eat sunflowers?”, you might now wonder how to stop them too. Here are some options for growing your sunflowers and preventing deer from eating them.
Move Your Sunflowers to Hard-to-reach Areas
The first and most easy way to keep your sunflowers safe from deer is to move the flowers to higher ground. You should try removing your sunflowers to places where deer cannot approach them (such as an internal garden or on the rooftop).
In some cases, garden owners even spread out plants in other forest areas to draw the attention of the deer away from their sunflowers. But if you have a big garden and you can’t remove them, let’s move on to the next method.
Build Fences
The most basic way to block anything that tries to get near your sunflower garden or your house is by building fences. If you don’t like wooden fences or think that barbed wire is a blot on the landscape, invisible fencing with fish wire would be perfect for you.
Create Unpleasant Scents (DIY sprays)
The next way of protecting your sunflowers from being eaten by deer is to create an unpleasant odor.
We recommend you use some non-chemical ingredients that are always available in your house. For instance, you can try a mix of rotten eggs and water. For the spray to come into effect, you should spray to cover the flowers and the leaves thoroughly. Leave it for a few hours to let it dry.
If you live near the forest area, you should be able to find dead animals there. The odor of a decaying animal will definitely chase the deer away. Believe us; you’ll notice fewer deer approaching your sunflowers in no time.
Other than that, you can find unpleasant odors on the market like soap and pepper spray. However, it would be best if you made sure that the one you’re buying is organic; since the product’s quality can affect your plant and the fertility of your soil.
As you can see, the solution to the problem “Do deer eat sunflowers and how to prevent it?” isn’t that hard to implement, right?
Get a Guard Dog or a Scarecrow
Deer are easily startled animals. Even a slight movement would scare them off. With a dog’s presence, you can go to bed with peace of mind knowing that no deer can touch your flowers.
Plus, the dog doesn’t only chase away the obnoxious deer but also watches over the house for you.
Grow Deer-Resistant Plants
Deer do eat sunflowers; however, they don’t eat all plants. There are some flowers out there that are not their taste. We have picked out some deer-resistant plants and wildflowers for your garden in the list below.
- Cinquefoil – a blend of green flower bushes and white flower dots. Trust us! The blue-green foliage will be a dreary sight for the deer.
- Snapdragon: The artistic spikes of this flower make it one of the most beautiful deer-resistant flowers.
- Signet Marigold: Marigold’s strong odor will make the deer steer clear of your garden.
- Bee Balm: From its name, we all know this kind of flower attracts bees and butterflies. However, since it has a very pungent odor, deer never come near it.
That is it! The question, “Do deer eat sunflowers and how to prevent it?” has been answered! Take your time and pick out the best option for yourself.
Conclusion
Do deer eat sunflowers? Sadly, they do. Deer are a lovely, harmless animal, but when it comes to your garden and eats away your flowers, they are just intolerable.
We hope you have found in this article the most suitable way to protect your sunflower garden. Stay tuned for our next guide!
